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Hopping on Victoria's beer bandwagon

Once again, it's time to visit some of British Columbia's established treasures and unexpected pleasures.

What:

Victoria beer culture

Why:

Those who believe that sophisticated sipping can only involve snifters of brandy or glasses or wine have often considered "beer" and "culture" to be mutually exclusive concepts. It's not hard to know why. For many years, Canadian beer, regardless of what label was on the bottle, all shared a dreary sameness.

But if you're an aficionado of ale, a devotee of dopplebock or a supporter of stout, you'll know that the last 25 years have seen a revolution in both the quality and variety of beers available in North America. Beer lovers in B.C. have been at the forefront of the movement, as has an organization originally founded in the U.K. in 1971.

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) was formed by a group of angry beer lovers in England who set out to resist the replacement of traditional regional beers with bland and monotonous factory beers. The Campaign for Real Ale Society of British Columbia (CAMRA BC) has been an affiliate since 1990 and is dedicated to the promotion and responsible consumption of natural, crafted beers.

The result has been an explosion of brewpubs and microbreweries throughout B.C. but particularly in Victoria. Traditional pubs, restaurants, and government and private liquor stores have also gotten into the act, responding to public demand and offering more quality brews. In fact, as the major breweries have seen their yearly sales sag, the craft beer market has continued to grow year over year.

Where:

It's a beautiful, sunny, September day in Victoria and Royal Athletic Park is the scene of a yearly celebration of the brewers' craft. Over 7,000 people attend the two-day event featuring over 170 beers made by more than 45 craft breweries from across Canada, Belgium, and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

We buy some beer tokens, are handed a quarter-pint plastic glass, and head out to explore. We soon discover that the range of beer on offer is only matched by the diversity of those doing the drinking.

Beer drinkers, it seems, fall into three main categories. The most boisterous group seem to barely let the beer touch their taste buds before it's in their belly and shortly thereafter their bladder (sorry, a weakness for alliteration). Then there's another group in less of a hurry, who swirl, swallow and say things like an overheard, "Holy cow, that's good beer!" And last is a more earnest group who sip, savour, and actually take notes using cloying flavour descriptors that would do any wine writer proud.

It's a friendly group of brewers and tasters all bonded by a love of fine beer. Despite line-ups at many booths, brewmasters are happy to discuss what hops and malts went into creating their frothy masterpieces with fantastic names such as Back Hand of God Stout, Humulous Ludicrous, Surly Blonde, and Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale.

Over a leisurely afternoon, we alternate beer sampling with listening to entertainment put on by local musicians and trying some of the food booths run by local restaurants and caterers. And at the end of the day, we are happy to use the free bus pass attached to our festival tickets to get back to our hotel.

Victoria's beer culture goes far beyond the Festival, though. Four brewpubs are located within easy walking distance of each other.

Spinnaker's on the waterfront in VicWest started the ball rolling when it opened in 1984. Canada's oldest brewpub offers a range of traditional and innovative brews along with excellent food and even beer and chocolate pairings. Just across the Johnson Street Bridge is Canoe Brewpub, located in an 1894 heritage building on the downtown waterfront. Brewmaster Sean Hoyne's Copper Bock fall seasonal brew won a gold medal at last year's Canadian Brewing Awards. A stone's throw away, Swans Brewpub is another Victoria institution. Winner of the Canadian Brewing Awards "National Brewpub of the Year" in 2006, it offers both chocolate and savoury food pairings with its selection of brews. A block away from the Empress Hotel, Hugo's Brewhouse rounds out the downtown ale trail. Here, brewmaster Benjamin Schottle creates innovative beers such as his popular Super G Ginseng Ale.

Victoria is also home to no fewer than three microbreweries, Vancouver Island Brewery, Lighthouse Brewing and Phillips Brewing Company. Phillips not only took home four medals including a gold at the Canadian Brewing Awards, it has won CAMRA's "Brewery of the Year" award for the past two years.

Access:

Royal Athletic Park is at the corner of Vancouver Street and Caledonia Avenue, about ten blocks northeast of downtown Victoria.

Contact Info:

For travel and accommodation information, contact Tourism Victoria at 1-800-663-3883 or at www.tourismvictoria.com.